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If I have a peptic ulcer how will it be treated?
How are ulcers treated in people with Helicobacter pylori alone?
What is triple therapy?
How do anti-inflammatory drugs cause ulcers?
What type of treatment can I get if I already take anti-inflammatory drugs? If I have a peptic ulcer how will it be treated?
The most common cause of peptic ulcers is infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and it can usually be eradicated with antibiotics.
The other main cause of peptic ulcers is as a side effect of taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are often prescribed to people with arthritic complaints or to treat pain.
Peptic ulcers can nearly always be healed with drugs and surgery is only necessary for ulcers that do not heal with drug treatment or for complicated ulcers.
Treatment of peptic ulcers is different depending on whether or not you are taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
How are ulcers treated in people with Helicobacter pylori alone?
If your tests show that you have a peptic ulcer caused by the presence of the H. pylori infection, you will be prescribed a course of antibiotics to kill the infection. This will allow the ulcer to heal and prevent it coming back.
However, H. pylori, unlike most common infections, is quite difficult to get rid of. So you will need to take several different drugs at the same time. This is because the infection lives in a very sheltered environment within the stomach mucous layer.
What is triple therapy?
The most common treatment, called triple therapy, is three drugs taken together for a week. These drugs are:
Two different antibiotics.
A powerful acid-suppressing drug, usually containing lansoprazole (Zoton) or omeprazole (Losec or Ulcid) – these acid-suppressing drugs are called proton-pump inhibitors.
You won’t usually need more acid-suppressing drugs after H. pylori has been eradicated, unless the ulcer caused some internal bleeding. If it did, you may be given a course of acid-suppressing drugs to make sure you have no further complications.
How do anti-inflammatory drugs cause ulcers?
People who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may get ulcers as a result of the drugs themselves. The NSAIDs are used to relieve the joint pain and swelling, painful muscles and general pain, but they can also inhibit the stomach’s production of prostaglandins.
Prostaglandins are needed in the stomach to maintain the mucous protective layer of the stomach and the gut. The NSAIDs weaken the protection of the stomach and this means the stomach acid and gastric juices can then cause peptic ulcers.
What type of treatment can I get if I already take anti-inflammatory drugs?
If possible you will be taken off non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or given an alternative treatment like paracetamol, until the ulcer is healed
You will be given a course of a powerful acid-suppressing drug – a proton-pump inhibitor – which contains the drug lansoprazole (Zoton) or omeprazole (Losec or Ulcid)
If you also have the H. pylori infection, you may be given a combination of antibiotics to eradicate it.
You may also be given misoprostol (Cytotec) to help heal your ulcer.
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